WRAPPING UP JAPAN
Back and Pack
So I landed back from Beijing on Sunday night, and my flight back to Portland left Narita on Monday evening. So on Monday I had myself a lazy morning packing. I got up early, got packed, got some emails and work done, and then headed off to the airport.
Sidenote: I always have way too much stuff...
Well, with my six pieces of luggage, I took a taxi to the bus. Not sure why it's called a limosine bus, it's just a bus. But on the way to the airport, I finished off a small bottle of whiskey (Yamazki is quite delicious when mixed), and chilled out on the bus enjoying the beautiful city sights on a beautiful day.
I eventually got through security and headed to the ANA lounge before my flight. Fucking americans... There was a group of Navy Seals blaring music and being loud as hell in the lounge. There's a reason we have a reputation as an annoying people-group. Sheesh.
But, while I was there, I had some good food, read some news, and got stoked for my business class seat on the upcoming flight. Oh BABY. Again, I was not disappointed.
A full range of food and wine options waited for me, along with a quick read of the newspaper. The food was absolutely delicious and the wine tasted marvelous (I tried Port for the first time with my cheese sampler, and it was really sweet). Along with the good eat and drink, I watched Bridge of Spies (a great Cold War film), took a 3 hour nap, and then finished off with Maze Runners (an ok film).
If you ever get the chance to experience a lay-flat bed on a long flight, DO IT. Holy shit. Lay flat beds/seats are absolutely amazing. The nap I had on the 787 Dreamliner between Narita and Vancouver was easily the best sleep I've ever had on a plane. It makes total sense, but it was Awwwwwwweeesome.
Well, we eventually landed in Vancouver, and got welcomed back to the Northwest by a ton of rain and grey skies. I felt right at home :-) It was kinda weird though going through customs and stuff. In the Vancouver airport, there was an outpost of the US Customs and Border Patrol, and a sign saying "Welcome to the US", again, on Canadian soil. It was a little weird.
Sidenote: I never got an arrival stamp in my passport, either in Vancouver or in Portland. Hopefully that won't cause me any problems later on.
I can't tell if it's my good looks, my charming demeanor, or just the lack of customers, but I sweet talked my way into the Air Canada lounge in Vancouver. It was really nice having a chill and comfy place to wait for my plane, AAAAAAAANNNND I got some unlimited OJ with an Everything Bagel with cream cheese to enjoy while the rain came down outside.
After a surprisingly not-so-long day, I made my way into Portland as the clouds opened up to blue skies and clouds. A fitting return to the beautiful Pacific Northwest.
Plane Positioning
There's something I found way cool and way different about sitting in front of the wings rather than behind. In my seat on the 787, I felt totally awesome, like I was leading the way with a giant machine behind me.
The view was great and wide, and it was cool to look back and see the front of the engine and wing trailing along.
Totally Struck With It All
Again, during the trip home, I had a couple more of those moments where it just hit me what I'm actually doing. i.e. flying business class from Japan to the US after a work rotation, including personal trips all over Japan and to South Korea, and a work trip to Beijing for a week.
Never would I have expected I'd be doing such things if you had told me this a few years ago. I'm blown away, and sometimes it feels like it's all a dream, or it's not real, or I'm just a phony, or something will happen. But either way, it's crazy to realize what I'm actually doing with my life. I don't even believe it....
Highlights in Japan
Overall, the three months I spent in Japan were completely new and a very rewarding experience. I had a great time exploring a very unique country, meeting some amazing people along the way, and experiencing some very new cultural nuances that made up the country I lived in.
Overall (in no particular order), here are some of the real big events that stick out to me over the last few months:
- Watching Sumo wrestling and seeing a completely unique and new sporting experience completely different than all sports I'm used to experiencing.
- Riding the Shinkansen and hurtling down the tracks in such a smooth, fast, and streamlined manner. Easily one of the top travel experiences you can get.
- Meeting so many new Frisbee Friends in Tokyo through pickup and through practice. Frisbee has been such a societal glue for me over the last few years, and Tokyo was absolutely phenomenal in that respect.
- Climbing Mt. Fuji with some new and old friends. The sunset summit we did was absolutely breathtaking, and a really cool experience to do amidst so many locals, experiencing the most holy mountain in the country.
- My trip to Matsumoto, Takayama, and Kanazawa and the amazing things I saw along the way. What a great trip filled with cultural experiences, great food, unbelievably hospitable people, and a few places I look forward to seeing again.
- SOOOOOOOO much good food and beer. Literally blown away by all the amazing things I was able to eat and drink along the way. Japanese food is dominated by seafood (awesome), super healthy (bonus), and there's a great craft beer scene throughout the country (oooh yeah).
There's so many more things and experiences that impacted me in Japan, and I look forward to building upon those many experiences throughout the next stages of my life.
I'm not sure when I'll go back, but I very much look forward to doing so. Japan is an awesomely beautiful and unique country, with a TON of history and culture for people to experience. If you ever get the chance, I highly recommend you visit.
Original Publish Date: December 14th, 2015